I liked the idea of this book more than anything. Isa is an incredibly interesting character and I loved the idea of reading this as diary entries. 

The audiobook, however, took a lot away from the book for me. The narrator did not match what I expected the MC to be and left me not wanting to listen. It took about 50% of the book before I felt more engrossed whereas I do believe an eBook or physical copy would have caught my attention sooner.

I’m intrigued to read more from this author but this one fell a little flat for me.

I could not get enough of this book and the story of Isa and Gala. It felt so real, bringing to life NYC, the early 2010s, the friends you had in your early 20s and these vivid characters all at once. There's humor, heartbreak, betrayal,
The audiobook was amazing and I loved the narrator's way of bringing Isa to life. I highly recommend it for this title. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the advance copy.

Marlowe Granados’ debut novel was a delightful surprise, a sort of adventure novel for the new millennium and something I could have gladly gone on reading indefinitely were it of infinite length.

The two enterprising young ladies at the heart of this novel are, like many young women in the early twenties, alternately ambitious and lazy, confident and unsure, exuberant and exhausted. The dream of making it in the big bad city with no clue how to do so is deeply relatable for anyone who moved to New York or any major world city (or who wishes to) and found themselves overwhelmed in both the best and worst possible ways.

Our protagonist Isa has a bit of the savant about her—at times stunningly naive yet speaking wry and poignant truths in the form of casually tossed off bon mots. The reader can’t help but adore her and at times even admire her.

It’s the spot-on account of trying to hack it in New York in your twenties and the laugh-out-loud humor that really make this a stunning debut. I can’t wait for more from Granados.

The audiobook is artfully done, read with a slightly flippant, charming tone that perfectly brings Isa, the bones of the story, and even New York City to life.

Granados renders Isa and Gala's free and party-drenched revelry across nightlife New York quite clearly.

She highlights situations that women are alla aware of and uses their awareness of their vulnerabilities in the party scene, the precarious nature of their housing and livelihood, their enjoyment of their youth and living in the moment to form a connection with her readers.

Both her characters are very lively and have quips and witticisms that are hilarious and well suited to whatever situation both girls find themselves in.

The glamour, interactions, and dialogue are well done even if it does get a bit repetitive.

The rift between Isa and Gala also left me wondering as it felt as if it never occurred organically. As if the jabs and disagreements were just to fill out the otherwise party and liquor-soaked prose.

Happy Hour follows 21-year-olds Isa and Gala–as told by Isa–through their 2013 summer of socializing and surviving in New York City. Of questionable immigration status, they work under the table and wine and dine with New York’s upwardly mobile–always on the hunt for their next meal, opportunity, and contact.

The girls’ outwardly vapid pursuits sharply contrast with Isa’s occasional biting and thoughtful social commentary–added just often enough to prompt me to continue listening. Further complicating the contrast was the Valley girl lilt of the narrator. It all made Isa and the overall arc a little hard to pin down. This is clever, but I think it will be most appreciated by people familiar with NYC social climbers.

Happy Hour is The Hills meets Caroline Calloway with a touch of Party of Five realness and my Spice Girls generation heart is loving it. Happy Hour is so funny and the narration is perfect. The sardonic yet light thoughts of Isa, the narrator and party girl with oh so many opinions, makes for a dry and ironic comedic that had me spitting out my coffee and rolling my eyes in equal measure.

I love the mellow drama of 20 somethings who treat everything about their lives with the importance of a Shakespearean tragedy. Because guess what, it is. Being weird and dramatic and earnestly calling yourself tired and weary for having to travel outside of Brooklyn on a hot summer day is exactly what I look for in writing about party girls. But while Isa and Gala start out as almost comically stereotypical figures, the more time we spend with them the more their intellect and depth shine through. I found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I identified with some of Isa's pearls of wisdom and general quips about life.

I truly think this book is striving for Otessa Moshfegh, and it’s doing a darn good job at it—but unfortunately the audio book version of this just doesn’t transcend. I know for a fact I’ll pick this book up in paper or e-book format. There’s something about the drawl, self-centered, unenthusiastic female lead character that requires a reader to think her thoughts rather than hear them. This is in no way judgement on the audiobook narrator, I think she gives it an excellent try. However, I couldn’t finish it, knowing that it was one title that desperately needed to be read rather than heard.

I am completely enamored with Granados' debut novel. I think every time I've picked up a novel touting a wayward twentysomething trying to find her way, I've been hoping to read this book. In it we meet Isa and her best friend/roommate Gala, glamorous girls about town who also happen to be flat broke. Without ever worrying too much about the future, the girls fill the time between nights out earning money through odd jobs like selling clothing in a flea market, becoming foot fetish models and acting as audience members on a syndicated TV show. Balancing hedonism with poverty is no easy task.
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The first half of the book was frivolous and fun; it's been a minute since I was in a club of any variety, and it was so fun to live vicariously through Isa and Gala for a while. Isa is a quick wit and I thoroughly enjoyed her deadpan observations about the partygoers and social climbers around her. Just as I began to tire of the party girl antics, it started to become clear to me that Isa is not just a vain twenty-something looking for free drinks in the big city, she's a fiercely intelligent, self-assured young woman living her life on her own terms. Isa knows she's - as the kids say - not for everyone, and she doesn't let that get her down. Isa remains true to herself and doesn't water down her personality or interests because others might think her "silly and light;" rather, she leans into that persona and uses it to leverage to get what she wants. Granados had me thinking Isa was shallow (and fun!) myself until I started to learn more about her backstory. I love it when an author catches me like that.
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In the author's note at the end of the book, Granados' lends her support to all the women who write and aren't taken seriously, and I think that sentiment can extend to all women who just live and aren't taken seriously. At various points in the book, ancillary characters are outright rude to Isa, and she knows why- because they can be. If you are someone who has been dismissed or underestimated for being young or a girl (or any number of reasons, really) this is TOO REAL. Isa lets it all roll off her back, showing a remarkable resilience and commitment to being herself; if you don't "get" Isa then that is just your loss. No spoilers, but in the end, Isa gets to stick it to those who dismiss her in a most satisfactory and understated conclusion.
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All drunken antics aside, Marlowe also touches on some important issues in the text. Isa and Gala are not US citizens, and their status as immigrants is never far from their mind (notably while commiting light-hearted petty crime). A (bottle) blonde Bosnian refugee, Gala blends in, while Isa garners a lot of attention for her "exotic" appearance. I wouldn't say either immigration or colorism/racism is a major plot point in Happy Hour, but both topics add some weight to the narrative and remind readers that of the very real problems that even seemingly frivolous protagonists can face.

The audiobook narrator on this audiobook has an incredibly annoying affectation. I think it’s intentional, the character is supposed to be very young and petty so the Valley Girl tone makes sense but it is hard for me to listen to for an extended period of time. I have this on eBook as well and will finish it in that format because it’s not so off putting.

Happy Hour follows Isa and her friend Gala as they galavant around NYC in the summer of 2013. They are glamorous grifters—would be Instagram influencers if the book was set in 2021.

I am not the type of reader who needs to love the characters of a book as people, which was fortunate in this case! Isa can be immature, selfish, exuberant, fun, at once independent and dependent on the admiration of everyone around her. I savored the contrast between whirlwind of the girls’ summer activities and Isa’s interminable inner monologue. While they hopped from club to club, bed to bed, and from one under the table job to the next, Isa pondered and overanalyzed everything around her. I would never have imagined I could relate to the inner monologue of a party girl, but I alternately wanted to give her a hug and yell at her to take a nap.

I think Bronwyn Szabo’s narration really let this book down. The protagonist is meant to be so charismatic that she basically lives off the connections she makes. Szabo got in the way of the character and constantly made it difficult to imagine people actually like Isa. I wish they could’ve had Julia Whelan read this! I might need to reread it in ebook or physical form.

I am grateful to both the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t the kind of book I normally read but I’m so glad I took a chance. The writing is legitimately witty and the story is just so fun. It is the perfect summer read. The protagonist reminded me so much of myself at that age (not sure I should admit it, though) that I felt transported back. This novel is full of charm and I will probably read it again when I need a lighthearted pick-me-up.

That said, I was gifted the audiobook by the publisher and I would not recommend going this route. The narrator was trying very hard to be the voice of this young and charismatic girl... she was trying too hard. It just didn’t work. In fact, I nearly gave up and bought the physical book just to be done with her voice. The material is so wonderful and, unfortunately, this narrator does it a huge disservice. I intend to buy this novel to read properly because the narration was so distractingly bad. I don’t do a lot of audiobooks but this is the first time I’ve had this kind of experience.

Many thanks to ECW Press Audio and NetGalley for gifting me this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.